Meet the Most Popular American Abroad

Meet the Most Popular American Abroad

Who says Americans are stingy?


Not the staff of Hell's Kitchen in Stockholm, who found themselves splitting a $12,252 tip over the weekend left by a mighty generous U.S. tourist, the Local reports.

The unknown American joined a posse of friends at the club Saturday for a night of reverie that included a Methuselah, or six-liter bottle, of Dom Perignon that alone cost $10,800 of the nearly $13,000 bill.

When the giant bottle of bubbly made its appearance the man and his five friends were joined by a bevy of bubblicious ladies, the Local reports.

But the American and his pals didn't seem to mind. They partied till the champagne was gone, and then the tourist quietly thanked the staff of Hell's Kitchen — in the Stureplan area of central Stockholm — before plopping down a tip that nearly equaled the final bill, the paper reports.

Hey big spender! Next time spend a little time with U.S.

He's the Thief, the Thief With the Midas Touch

TOKYO (AP) — A glittering bathtub made of gold and worth $987,000 has been stolen from a resort hotel near Tokyo, an official said Wednesday.

A worker at Kominato Hotel Mikazuki in Kamogawa, south of Tokyo, notified police the fancy tub was missing from the hotel's guest bathroom on the 10th floor of its building, according to a local police official who only gave his surname, Ogawa.

The round tub, 4 feet in diameter and 2 feet tall, was made of 18-karat gold weighing 176 pounds, Ogawa said.

The tub, flanked by two crane statues, has been a main feature of the hotel's shared bathroom. Visitors can take a dip in the tub, but it is only available a few hours a day "for security reasons," the hotel's Web site said.

Someone apparently cut the chain attached to the door of a small section of the bathroom where the bathtub was placed, but not riveted, and made off with the tub, Ogawa said. The cranes were left untouched.

"We have no witness information and there are no video cameras," he said. "We have no idea who took it."

Texas Pete Unavailable for Comment

MIAMI (AP) — A manager at a fast-food restaurant was shot several times in the arm early Tuesday trying to protect the chili sauce, authorities said.

A man in the Wendy's drive-through argued with an employee because he wanted more of the condiment, police said. The worker told the customer that restaurant policy prohibited a customer from getting more than three packets.

The man insisted on 10, reports said. The employee complied, but police said the customer wanted even more.

The manager came out to speak to the man, said Miami-Dade Police spokesperson Mary Walter. The customer then shot the manager, who was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

The customer fled in his vehicle with a female passenger, authorities said.

He's Six Feet Underground, But He's Far From Dead and Gone

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A city fire investigator says he found a man living in a well-equipped underground bunker.

James O'Neill, an investigator with the city fire marshal's office, said the man, a 47-year-old veteran, uses car batteries to light the 16-foot-by-20-foot space, which is six feet underground. He cooks food in a hot pot.

The man said the bunker took two years to dig, O'Neill said.

The walls are covered with insulation and plastic tarps and the ceiling is made of wood and roofing material, said O'Neill, who discovered the home over the weekend while investigating a nearby fire. The man sleeps on a foam bed, O'Neill said.

"Some people would call him homeless, but he's a clean, well-spoken guy. When I spoke to him, he was reading a novel by Joseph Wambaugh," O'Neill told The Buffalo News.

The fire investigator declined to give the man's name or say where the bunker is located to protect the man's privacy. He said the man earns money doing occasional odd jobs.

"It's not the Marriott hotel by any means, but this man has made it comfortable down there," O'Neill said.

The man said he has been living in the bunker for about six years.

"He told me it's a peaceful and tranquil place to live," O'Neill said.

The Family That Studies Together ... Graduates Together

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah (AP) — Three generations of the same family, including a 72-year-old grandfather, are getting high school diplomas.

James Nunley, 36, his daughter Brittany Wright, 17, and father Jim Nunley, 72, of the Salt Lake City suburb of Cottonwood Heights, are all graduating.

Jim Nunley would have graduated in 1953 but left school with less than a year to go while working in the family's paint business.

"All those years, I kept thinking about it and thought I ought to do something about it," the elder Nunley said.

Jim Nunley entered a program for adults and his son joined him.

James Nunley, a truck driver, worked a 10-hour shift, then studied history and science each night for a month to make up 3.5 credits needed for a diploma.

Father and son graduate Saturday. Brittany is graduating June 5.

"It's a long time overdue. Weird," James Nunley said. "I don't even think it's hit me yet."

We Hope These Handcuffs Don't Come With a Skeleton Key

BECKWITH, W.Va. (AP) — A burglar broke into a police officer's home and stole handcuffs, a 40-caliber Glock service pistol, a police radio and a duty belt.

The burglar also took $2,175 worth of other items, including a PlayStation 2 game console, video games, a portable DVD player, a cell phone and cash, State Police Cpl. R. C. Workman said.

Workman said the unidentified officer and his family were not home when the break-in happened.

He said the gun, valued at $500, is a model that could be purchased anywhere, but the $1,800 radio is not an item a civilian would have.

Police do not know whether the burglar knew a police officer lived in the house, Workman said.

Thanks for the Memories

After three years, five editors and countless laughs, Out There is taking an extended vacation.

Changes at the Web site mean we have more room to run "Out There" stories on their own, so look for your favorite Moms and Dads of the Year stories, along with the hijinks of animals, criminals and all-around wacky people in our daily headlines.

Keep sending us your hometown tips, as you're sure to find those great stories and a whole lot more on FOXNews.com.

Compiled by FOXNews.com's Sara Bonisteel.

Got a good "Out There" story in your hometown? We would like to know about it. Send an e-mail with a Web link (we need to authenticate these things) to outthere@foxnews.com.

KISS Lead Singer Paul Stanley Skips SoCal Concert Due to Heart Problems

SAN JACINTO, Calif. — KISS lead singer and guitarist Paul Stanley had to bow out of a Southern California concert because of heart problems before the show, according to his Web site.


Band-mates Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer played the Friday night gig at Soboba Casino, about 90 miles east of Los Angeles, as Stanley was taken to the hospital.

"During sound check yesterday, my heart spontaneously jumped to 190 plus beats per minute where it stayed for over an hour necessitating paramedics to start an IV and give me a shot to momentarily stop my heart and get it into a normal pattern," Stanley said in the Saturday Web site posting.

• Get hip to the beat in FOXNews.com's Music Center.

"Not knowing if this episode was life threatening made it even more exhausting," the statement continued.

Phone and e-mail messages for KISS manager Doc McGhee seeking comment about Stanley's condition were not immediately returned Saturday night.

It was KISS' first ever appearance as a trio, according to the band's Web site.
As famous for their makeup, stage mayhem and wagging tongues as their music, KISS recorded the 1970s hits "Rock and Roll All Nite" and "Detroit Rock City."

The 55-year-old Stanley, born Stanley Eisen, released a solo album, "Live to Win," in 2006.

Visit FOXNews.com's Music Center for complete coverage.